Report: Kushner A Shadow Secretary Of State, Tillerson Cut Out

[Jimbo101]

Politico

Even though the administration is less than a month old, both Tillerson and Mattis have been in perpetual cleanup mode, making calls to leaders around the world with far less drama and unpredictability than Trump's own calls and traveling to assuage the anxieties of key allies in Asia and Europe. Both have spent much of their first weeks in office in other countries, reassuring allies about Trump’s ad hoc approach to foreign policy that is being driven largely by the president’s son-in-law.

Kushner, officially a White House senior adviser, has become something of a foreign policy proxy in the White House — a “shadow secretary of state,” as one administration source described him — corresponding with governments at Trump's request. That’s causing consternation at Foggy Bottom, as top State Department officials, foreign policy experts and embassy officials are frozen out of foreign policy decisions and often unsure who is doing what, or who is responsible.

Mattis, Tillerson and Pompeo continue to butt heads with the White House over personnel decisions, fighting to pick their own staffs against an administration that has rewarded campaign staff with government positions and remains wary of establishment figures. According to a source close to the CIA director, Pompeo is not happy that Trump, frustrated by leaks from the intelligence community, floated the idea of appointing a hedge funder and political supporter, Stephen Feinberg, to investigate his agency.

[Cracklin Charlie]

1. Saw this last night.

Scary shit.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. So the guy with no diplomatic experience is being undermined....

...by another guy with no diplomatic experience?

So what was Tillerson for? Just a gift to Russia to give Putin's drinking buddy a cushy (albeit lower paying) job?

[underpants]

5. As much as Tillerson does appear to be that compared to the rest...

...he stands out as a "grownup". Not wanting to promote Tillerson but he has run a vast international corporation so he understands administration and management as well as dealing with multiple state and corporate cultures.

[BlueMTexpat]

10. True ...

much as I dislike both, Tillerson and Mattis are the closest things to "adults in the room."

I wonder how long it will take them to resign when they realize what a "sh*t sandwich" this whole f*cking administration is.

[zentrum]

13. Tillerson will never

....resign. His cronies and eventually he, stand to make billions from Russian oil deals and pipelines through the Ukraine.

It's clear from his past career in Big Oil that he has no values at all. It's all just $$$$$$$$.

[justhanginon]

18. It will be hard for any of them to resign. The one common factor

among his appointees is the worship of money and their unflinching pursuit of the dollar, be it illegal or immoral doesn't even enter into their equation. Most of these people are really no better than semi-legal gangsters and thugs in suits. Very expensive suits which is one of their calling cards valued by the regime.

[Mr.Bill]

20. Call whoever you want Secretary of State.

Tillerson is the Secretary of Oil.

[zentrum]

21. Well Said.

[pangaia]

27. Isn't it frightening when you/we have to call these assholes 'the adults in the room.'

It boggles the mind.

[Alice11111]

28. I hope a few adults hang on, as DT is so removed from reality

Some of them at least know what is going on and they will call out his BS

[underpants]

3. Rec'd. This is a really good article.

Thanks for posting it. Even Politico seems to be coming around.

[dalton99a]

4. Crime bosses prefer to use messengers who are family.

[tanyev]

6. Oh, I don't see Tillerson liking that very much.

[BeckyDem]

7. It is wild watching Trump trying to change the deck to suit his idea of who will be loyal to him

versus people who have experience for the job at hand. House of cards is an understatement.

[RKP5637]

8. I wonder who will be next to resign if this sh** keeps up. n/t

[Scarsdale]

9. Kushner

does not work weekends, so someone has to mind the store on Sat. and Sundays.

[Alice11111]

30. I think it is only Saturdays that he doesn't work, but he's made a couple of exceptions lately

[crazylikafox]

11. I wonder if Kushner was behind the firings at State this past week while Tillerson was in Europe

[TrekLuver]

12. I hope Kushner also rots in prison.

[Blue Idaho]

14. Does Kushner have a security clearance

Or does the WH bother with those thing anymore?

[tenorly]

16. "Hey, Jared. Read this and get back to me will ya? It's the one that says Above Top Secret."

That's probably how a lot of mornings at the Oval Office sound like these days.

[Blue Idaho]

25. I'm afraid

You have that one bang on... you know these corporate crooks are all above the law.

[tenorly]

26. This one time though, they might not get away with it.

To be above the law is one thing; to piss all over the Intelligence community might just be in all league all its own.

Not that I relish the though of their ridding us of Trump - we'd just end up with Sir Fetus Funeral!

[Alice11111]

32. I used to think that. Now, I think DT is so MFcrazy, at least Pence wont blow up the world before we

can get him out. Plus, he would be easier to get rid of.

[Blue Idaho]

33. Unless the whole bunch is as crooked as the boss...

Pence ain't no angel - no matter what he tries to pretend.

[tenorly]

35. My point exactly: he's a wolf in Sunday School teacher clothing.

Those are the worst.

[Alice11111]

31. DT said he was going to get him& Ivanka one, then he said he wasnt. He is on NSC, so he has to have

[Blue Idaho]

34. With this WH who the hell knows... nt.

[keithbvadu2]

15. "over personnel decisions, fighting to pick their own staffs against an administration that has rewa

"over personnel decisions, fighting to pick their own staffs against an administration that has rewarded campaign staff with government positions and remains wary of establishment figures"

Movie - Red October where the Russian captain kills the 'political officer' (not sure of his title) whose loyalty is to the state and not a part of the operating crew.

His duty was to ensure that things were done in a 'politically correct' manner and the proper attitudes were maintained.

It's getting to sound more and more familiar and closer to home.

[jmowreader]

19. "Political officer" was their real title

All Soviet units had three primary officers.

The first one was the Commander.

Next was the Political Officer - in Russian, "Zampolit." This is where Red October really screwed up: the Zampolit is a member of the Party (I will explain later), and he also worked as part of the unit. All Zampolits had been in the military before they went to work for the Party; the Party usually sent them to the same kind of unit they had served in. The US equivalent of the Zampolit is the Executive Officer.

The third was the Technical Officer - in Russian, "Zampotech." This is what they did with the new lieutenants they didn't have platoons for. This poor bastard really got the short end of the stick; his job was to make sure all the equipment in the company was combat ready, but he was dealing with Soviet equipment and the Soviet supply system so you can guess how this job went. If for some reason the Soviet officer academies weren't turning out excess lieutenants this year, they'd give the job to a sergeant who liked the Army well enough to reenlist. (Units with sergeant zampotechs worked better than ones with lieutenant zampotechs; the sergeants had been in the unit long enough to figure out where to hide all those inoperable BMPs they were parting out...)

Comparing the Soviet Army to the Trump Administration is a fool's errand; the Soviets at least had SOME clue what they were doing, as opposed to the Trump Administration who couldn't pour piss out of a boot if you put the instructions on the heel.

[keithbvadu2]

22. Good one! Trump's 'political officers' are pure political stooges without subject matter knowledge.

[DK504]

17. Exactly when will the Congress realize a snot nosed no nothing kid is trying

to run one of the most important cabinet positions in the country. I have to wonder how much this little punk runs by Ivanka, the smart one.

[jmowreader]

24. This Congress doesn't give a shit

[uponit7771]

29. +1 and with gerrymandering and voter suppression they don't have to for a while either

[Alice11111]

36. Probably everything, but she has to make him think it was his own idea

She probably learned that from her mother. DT appeared to function better when he was with Ivana. There could be an added dementia element now.

[workinclasszero]

23. BLOTUS 45's inner cabal

runs everything hence the chaos. Bannon is the real power.